Stella, after a nap

Let's pretend it's fall.

And that it's not too hot to wear jeans.

Because today I'm squeezing into my favorite jeans before this baby decides they're no longer an option, and I'm not even rolling them up to be capris. I'm wearing my favorite new fall shirt, found here. And I'm eating a pumpkin pie shake. Yum.

Sigh, I love imaginary fall.

pumpkin trick-or-treat bags, a tutorial

Materials needed:
3/4 yard orange fabric for body of pumpkin
3/4 yard black fabric for lining
1/16 yard green fabric for handle and stem (will make 2 handles and 2 stems)
scraps of black and yellow fabric for face
3/4 yard black lace or ric rac
1/2 yard (or half of a 36x45 piece) of quilt batting
orange, black, and white thread
2 green buttons (optional)
green, black, and white ribbon (optional)
1 yellow pom pom (optional)

a note: all measurements include a 1/2" seam allowance


Step 1. Cut out your patterns. I used regular computer paper to make mine. Don't worry, they don't have to be perfect. Obviously, a compass would be useful to make the circles, but I didn't have one, so I free handed them. After I had drawn my measurements for my side pattern, I folded the paper in half lengthwise before cutting, so the curved sides would be even. If you enlarge the picture, I think you can see all of the measurements except for the stem piece. The top of this piece is 3" wide, the bottom is 2 1/2"wide, and it is 2 3/4" long. If you have any trouble seeing the other measurements, please let me know. The side pieces should measure 12 inches long, 3 5/8 inches wide at the top, 5 1/2 inches wide in the middle, and 3 1/8 inches wide at the bottom.

click to enlarge

Step 2. Cut out your fabric.


Step 3. Make the face. I found that it's easiest to sew the face onto the side before assembling the pumpkin. If your face will take up more than the space available on one side piece, sew two pieces together first (instructions in Step 4), and then add your face (Don't let your face go all the way to the edge of the piece, though. You want to leave 1/2" seam allowance on each side.). This is where you can really be creative, though I copied the face my grandma made almost exactly. I used a few scraps of black fabric for my face shapes and pinned them in place (near the middle/top of the side piece).


With black thread, I used a really tight zig zag, almost like a satin stitch all around the edges. For the mouth, I drew a pencil line and followed it with my needle.


I stitched on a pom pom for the nose.


Here's an idea for a boy pumpkin, made my by grammy.



Step 4. Assemble the pumpkin. With right sides together and backed by the batting, sew the side pieces together. (Change to white or orange thread first.) Keep going until all 8 are stitched together.




Step 5. Attach the bottom.With right sides together, and the bottom piece backed by the batting, sew the bottom circle to the body of the pumpkin.


Turn right side out.



Step 6. Sew the lining. Stitch the 8 lining pieces together, right sides together. Make sure to switch to black thread first.


Attach it to the top of the pumpkin by sewing right sides together.


Close the bottom of the lining with a topstitch.


Stuff it inside.



Step 7. Make the lid. With right sides together, and backed by the batting, sew the lid and lining together. Don't forget to put your lace or ric rac on the inside. I like to pin the lace toward the inside all around the top of the lid. Then I sandwich it with the lining fabric and repin.


When sewing them together, leave a small opening to turn it right side out.


Trim the edges. Then turn it right side out.


Pin the opening closed, put orange thread in the top of your machine, and topstitch all around the edge.


Now stitch it like a pie.



Step 8. Make the stem. Switch to white thread and sew the right sides together, leaving the bottom open. Trim corners.


Turn right side out and stuff with batting. I used the leftover batting scraps from the side pieces. I tear and loosen them a bit first.


After stuffing it well, sew the bottom closed. Next, attach it to the top of the lid. This must be done by hand. When stitching, try to keep your stitches from piercing the lid completely. You want to get beneath the orange fabric, but not all the way to the lining.


Decorate with ribbon or flowers (optional, and only recommended for a girl pumpkin).



Step 9. Attach the lid to the pumpkin. With a few handstitches, secure the lid to the back of the pumpkin's opening.



Step 10. Make the handle. Fold the handle piece in half lengthwise, right sides together. Sew top and sides closed, leaving the bottom open. Turn right side out and stuff. Again, use the leftover batting scraps. You really want this stuffed well. Put as much in there as you can. Stitch the bottom closed (I do this by hand so the stitches cannot be seen).


Now attach the handle to the pumpkin. This must be done by hand, as well, and can be hard on the fingers. Use a thimble, if you have one.


Add decorative buttons or bows.


another note: After I made my pumpkins, I realized that the buttons my grandma used were not merely decorative. She stitched all the way through the handle to the button. I think this would make it a bit more secure.

Yay. You're done. Now let's fill it with candy!

There's nothing like a good project to help you forget about feeling yucky.

Once upon a time, my clever Grammy made trick-or-treat bags for me and my brothers and sisters. I am the lucky owner of two of these "vintage" treats. Natalie, a very nice reader of mine, had the same exact pumpkins when she was little. Can you believe it? She had the brilliant idea of recreating these sweet bags for our children. And if you know my Stella, you know she'd have a major cow if she didn't have her own trick-or-treat bag to tote around this Halloween.

So I went to the fabric store and got busy.


Here's a sneak peak. What do you think?

Are you feeling crafty? A tutorial is coming next week.

Blogging might be spotty for a bit,

as I am feeling rather yucky and nausea tends to zap all of my creativity. I am trying my darnedest not to lay on the couch all day.

Baby #4 is on the way.
We are thrilled.

We have a winner.

Congratulations bkbills!
Email your info to barefootstephanie@gmail.com and I will get sewing.

Thank you, everyone, for entering the giveaway and for loving my blouse. I was overwhelmed by all of your nice comments. Have a great week!

a blouse and a giveaway

I went to Anthropologie the other day. I was armed with Mike and my 15% off card.


Guess what. I couldn't find a thing to buy. It's the story of my life. I liked this blouse, but I thought the neckline was too low (not too mention the price being too high!).

So. . .


I made my first ever Anthropologie copy.

What do you say, shall we have a giveaway? Let's.

I will sew the winner their very own Anthropologie-esque blouse.

Please note: the pattern I made is for a size 0-2 shirt.

Earn one entry by commenting on this post. Earn an extra entry by creating a link to this post on your blog. The giveaway will close Saturday night at midnight pst. I will announce the winner Monday morning.

Ready, go!

5 Labor Days ago. . .

I gave birth to our Oliver. I always find this kind of ironic since I had a scheduled c-section and no labor on my part was actually involved.

Oliver is a dreamy kid. He might be a teeny bit stubborn sometimes, but he is always a kind and tender boy. We are so lucky to have him in our family.

Happy birthday, Oliver!

I wish you could smell my kitchen.

Because it smells like heaven.

Every January, when Mike and I are discussing resolution ideas, he suggests that one of mine could be to learn how to bake bread. So I wasn't surprised when one of my birthday presents this year was this fancy bread machine. But do you want to know something? Homemade bread is so yummy, and is so so easy to make, that I am happy to oblige his bread making fantasies.

Isn't my loaf pretty? This is our new everyday bread. I think my favorite feature of the machine is the crust control. You can choose either light, medium, or dark crust. Brilliant.

Do you have any bread making tips? What are your favorite recipes? Please share.

How to use elastic thread.

1. put it in your bobbin, use regular thread up top
2. wind it gently by hand, no stretching
3. sew on the right side of the fabric

That's all. It's easy, I promise.

I think we might be jumping the gun.

oh well

tee shirt #3

pre-fix: plain, old, and boring

post-fix: half-sleeved, gathered, and cute?

I needed a red shirt the other day. So I grabbed an old long sleeved one I had hanging around and started cutting. Who wears long sleeves in Arizona anyway, right? It's like a million degrees here.

First, I shortened the sleeves, removed the original neckline, and cut off the hem. I made the neckline a wee bit v-necked. Then I got my trusty elastic thread into my machine and sewed 4 lines, each 1/4 inch apart, with the first line 1/2 inch from the bottom, around the hem of the shirt. I did the same thing on the sleeves, but only did 2 lines. And around the neck, I did one line just near the v.

I can't decide if I like it or not, but I wore it to church anyway.

You can see shirt #1 here and here, and shirt #2 here.